The Greater Good
by CaskettFeels
Summary: Many years after the fall of Voldemort, the Death Eaters still want nothing more than to shape the world in their image. Only members of the Order of the Phoenix, veterans and new recruits, stand in the way of the past repeating itself in the future. Original Characters with Canon.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a story of original characters in the Harry Potter universe that have been developed over many years on a Harry Potter RPG site: virtual [dash] hogwarts .org  
**

 **The site is full of HP nuances, like Sorting, Quidditch, Dueling and classes. You can develop your own character from the start. There will be canon characters throughout this fic, but I've got a lot of love for my original character, Aurora, whom you will find on VH if you decide to check it out.**

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The last day of summer was always one that made Aurora Braelin-VonHaus feel sorrowful. Sure, it meant that vacation was at an end, but that didn't really mean too much for her since she still worked the summer at St. Mungo's when she wasn't at Hogwarts. This was something that she and her husband, Spike VonHaus, always seemed to disagree on. Frequently, he'd remind her that she didn't need to work, she was with _him_ and they had more than enough wealth that she could stay home with him and their two new additions to the family. She could see herself being happy with that life, at least for a while before she went mad with boredom-not that she thought her children were boring by any means. Though, she knew deep down that she was undeserving of the life of luxury that he was offering her. She was a woman of action; anyone who knew her could vouch for that, and she loved having a sense of purpose. What greater purpose was there than helping people and saving lives? It was important to her, and every time Spike brought it up, she never hesitated to remind him that her work was just as important as his. Her livelihood had nothing to do with money. It was deeper than that.

Everyone was in the backyard that day, August 31st, celebrating birthdays and mourning the last day of summer at the same time. Spike had the BBQ going, surrounded by the other men of the family and was producing hot dogs and hamburgers, steaks and pork chops left, right and centre. There was beer for the adults-the men mostly-and soda, juice and water for the kids. Aurora opted for a bottle of water, steering clear from the alcohol. There was a time, long ago, when she thought the answers she was looking for could be found at the bottom of a bottle or two-definitely more. She never classified herself as an alcoholic, and kicked the crutch easily enough after having an epiphany during her time in Paris all those years ago, but she drank seldom ever since, regardless.

A large pool had been magically created in the backyard for the happy occasion, and Aura's adopted cousin, Selina, was on duty, diligently watching over all the children that were being loud and splashing water all over the place, including in each other's faces. She could hear Selina calling out to them to settle down before someone got a finger in the eye or worse. Mercifully, the two new additions to the family were upstairs, sleeping and blissfully unaware of the party happening outside. Aurora kept a baby monitor nearby so she could hear when they demanded her attention.

Sitting at a table under the cover of a large canopy, she sipped her water and watched the kids horsing around in the pool. She smiled, because it was rare moments like this that would always be with her. She wasn't a fan of the sun, and while she could appreciate gorgeous days, if she had to sit outside for any length of time, the shade is where she would rather do it.

Alexandria Turlough, cousin and best friend, came over to the table and presented Aurora with a hot dog before sitting down in the chair next to her. She glanced at the offered hot dog and accepted it, even though her stomach wasn't hungry enough to want to eat it. Still, it was the thought that counted, and the healer smiled gratefully towards her cousin, who was as radiant as ever with a growing belly that demanded more than one serving from the BBQ. "Thank you," she said, capping her water and taking a bite. Merlin, it was the juiciest hot dog, ever. If there was one thing Spike knew how to do (which isn't to suggest he didn't know a lot of things), it was how to have a kick-ass BBQ. Alex hummed her response, having already dove into her own meal.

Alex had just about finished her hot dog _and_ hamburger by the time Aurora had eaten half of a hot dog. "Everything okay over there, Squirt?" Alex inquired, nudging her with her elbow. Of course she'd notice the lack of appetite.

Aura smiled, nodding her head, lost in the memory that was being made at that very moment when Jacen jumped off the diving board and pulled one leg up to his chest in a very successful jack-knife. Water shot up a good fifteen feet into the air, but its arc had the water descending in the direction of the two women. Water plopped down heavily onto the canopy and Aurora chuckled to herself. "Everything's perfect," she said after a moment, and right then, she wasn't entirely sure she believed herself.

"Going back tomorrow, eh?"

"Tonight, actually. For a couple of hours. Just to set up the Wing, get everything in order before tomorrow. But, yeah, I'll be heading back on the train tomorrow morning." Now, it felt like it was a necessity for her to ride the Hogwarts Express to the castle. She didn't need to. Apparation to Hogsmeade was just a blink of an eye away, but ever since that year she had taken the train with her eldest boys simply to watch over their first train ride to the castle, and the attack that nearly took them from her, she rode it every year now, keeping a watchful eye on all of _her_ children and all of the other children she felt equally responsible for. This, Alex understood without question.

"You know, Squirt… I have such a bad feeling about Hogwarts this year," Alex confided, swiping a napkin along the corners of her mouth, food finished, mother and baby both satisfied.

Aurora barked a laugh, but made no move to initiate eye contact with her, knowing what she'd see when she did. Worry, fear, helplessness all mixed together out of love, and coupled with painful memories from their youth. "You always have a bad feeling about Hogwarts," she challenged. "Every year."

"And you don't?"

The question made Aurora tilt her head towards Alex while it weighed heavily in her mind. "You know, I'm usually the one with the bad feelings," Aurora pointed out, telling Alex she was worrying too much without saying it outright. Obviously, in that moment, the healer was void of any _bad feelings_ , per se. There was _something_ lurking just under the surface, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"You're usually right about them, too," Alex replied, giving a slight nod to an ability that Aurora had long since lost. Able to see the future when she was but a student in Hogwarts, only to become so damaged at the hands of dark wizards, it was no wonder why Aurora had lost the ability to see the future because of the trauma.

Aurora flicked her eyes to her cousin, and she saw everything she knew she would see directed towards her. "Alex, don't let your mind go there," she said gently. "That's not a path I want you traveling with me." When Alex looked away, her attention seemingly drawn towards the children, Aura knew it was more than that. Her words had struck a chord. Since when did they travel different paths? She didn't need a seers ability to know what was going through the elder's head. "Thinking like that all the time," she continued, looking away as well, "it can change you. It can change the way you see things, and people."

"This isn't small stuff I'm sweating about, Aura. It's not some jaded sort of thinking. It's big, and it's important. Nothing is more important than your safety, and theirs," Alex nodded towards the VonHaus kids in the pool just as Edward jumped on Jonathan and pulled him under the water. "I'm just saying that I-"

"Have a bad feeling. I got it." And it was enough to spring forth her own seeds of doubt on the upcoming school year, and she looked at her children worriedly.

"No-well, yes, but rather, I just want you to be careful." Alex couldn't hide the concern in her voice.

The corners of Aura's mouth twitched upwards. "Always," she promised and went for her water again. She didn't even bother taking a swig. She fiddled with the lid in her hand, because while she hadn't exactly had a bad feeling beforehand, it was definitely there now, more prominent in the back of her mind than usual.

She caught Spike waving at her in her peripheral and she looked over. "Food's ready," she announced to her cousin. Taking Spike's cue, she rose from her spot and wandered towards the pool. "Okay, guys! Everyone out. It's dinner time." She was greeted with a chorus of groans from half of the children. Meanwhile, Edward and Jonathan were eagerly hauling themselves out, bellies longing for food. Aurora stood at the edge of the pool watching the stragglers. Alex's mother, Kathryn, was in the pool with her grandchildren, supervising them alongside Selina, who preferred to stay dry.

Suddenly, something felt off. She flicked her eyes towards her daughter who was whispering excitedly towards Jacen and wrapping herself up in a towel. There was someone behind her. She knew exactly what this was. Hell, she had done this in the past, and now was obviously the time for revenge. "Don't do it," she warned loudly to the one who was plotting against her. "I don't care if you're pregnant. You're going in, too, if you do."

There was movement, behind her, calling her bluff. Turning just enough to grip Alex's arm, she was shoved so unceremoniously towards the large body of water, but she had a strong enough hold on her cousin that Alex fell into the warm water with her, both screaming girlishly until they were submerged. Truth be told, the water felt heavenly on this scorcher of a day. She stayed under for a second while Alex kicked for the surface. Under here, the laughter of adults and the squeals of excited children having witnessed their mothers at play was muffled. There was a sort of peace that came under water. Everything was just shut out. It was solitude and she was weightless in it.

Her head broke the surface in time for Alex to thrust a wave of water in her face with her palm. Aurora retaliated, laughing, engaging her inner child for all of five minutes, bad feelings forgotten. "Alright, alright. You just ate. You know the rule, mommy," she chastised her cousin and swam for the shallow end. "AJ, sweetie, could you grab us a couple more towels from inside?"

Laughing, AJ trotted off to do just that. Ascending the steps, Aurora turned back to Alex, giggling like a little girl and extended her hand. Not that Alex needed help, but there was a solidarity to the gesture and Alex took it, allowing herself to be helped out of the pool. "How did you know I was even behind you?" Alex asked in good spirits and took the towel AJ had returned with.

"Those two," the healer pointed at Jacen, and by association, AJ, too. "Can't contain their excitement sometimes. And… I figured you'd try try it after last year." She turned towards everyone else. "Okay, okay. Dinner time. Come on, everyone. Pool's closed."

Ushering everyone toward the table where the men, the husbands-Uncle Mike, Creylen, Spike, Daniel, Aaron-were assorting everything for everyone. Eventually, everyone was sitting at the tables under the large canopy, eating merrily and talking amongst themselves. By the time dinner was done, Aurora was still soaking wet, but Alex had snuck into the house and emerged less than a minute later perfectly dry once more.

She sat next to her husband, arm looped through his, wet head resting upon his bare shoulder. "Great BBQ, babe," she whispered to him. Spike looked down at her with his ocean blues and swooped in for a quick smooch.

"Keep it PG, you two," Sarah said from across the table, but low enough that only they could hear.

"Mum!" the healer admonished, a blush creeping up her neck as she buried her face into Spike's shoulder. "Jeez." The woman had such a nasty habit of making her feel like a teenager all over again, busted for making out with her then partner, whether it was Darcie, or Beau, or Harko, or Lian back in the day. "Want to help me with the cake?" she murmured in his ear. Of course, she meant they were going to snog for a minute before lighting the candles and bringing out the large cake that would be enough for two slices each if people so desired. They went overboard sometimes, but birthdays were a big deal.

Then, who doesn't love presents?

There was eventually more swimming after a sufficient amount of time had passed. The presents were opened, and Edward and Jonathan seemed to be overwhelmed in a good way. They were appreciative to their relatives, thanked, hugged and kissed everyone. That made Aurora a proud momma. The younger twins had woken up, and just as Aurora was about to venture into the house to tend to them, Spike promised he had them and disappeared into the house before she could even rise from her seat. "Wish I could train Creylen like that," Alex muttered over her shoulder, watching the former Slytherin as he went.

Aurora barked a laugh, because _yeah_ , she knew she was very lucky. She had no snappy retort to that, just kept chuckling. The sun was beginning to set, and she didn't want to have to end the party, but it was just about that time. The kids needed to go through their night before school ritual. They needed to shower and get the smell of chlorine out of their hair. They also needed to recheck their trunks and make sure everything was packed (and packed properly). Then, before bed, it was time for a movie, and it was Jacen's turn to pick, which would undoubtedly result in a VonHaus war between the children.

The pool was void of children an hour later, the party wrapping up just in time, really. Alex scooped up Aurora Jr. in her arms and tilted her towards Aurora. "Give Auntie Aura a kiss!" she cooed at her daughter, making Aurora chuckle. She made a point of making a loud smacking noise with her lips on Rora's cheek, much to the young girl's delight. The two cousins managed a one armed hug. "Take care, Squirt."

"You, too, Quack."

She smiled, watching Alex rounding up her family and heading for the fireplace. She waved, sad and slow, before Alex dropped the floo powder to her feet and was gone in the flash of green fire. Selina and her family also opted for the fireplace. Abigail and her family, however, had to drive, so they left an hour earlier, along with Kathryn and Michael.

The house was quiet again, and Deew suddenly appeared next to Aurora, tugging on her sleeve like that of a child. She smiled down at him. "Should Deew clean the house now, Mrs. Aurora?" She had always felt so incredibly awkward with a house elf. She hated that he cleaned for the family, detested that he liked it so much. It's been years, and still it felt wrong.

"No, Deew. That's okay. I can handle it tonight."

"But, Deew insists!"

"Oh, Deew," she sighed appreciatively. She could see from his big eyes that he wasn't going to back down. Had he been that bored today? "If you want -" She didn't even finish the sentence before he was off to do just that. Amused, she went off in search of Spike to tell him the kids were showering, then double checking their trunks. "I'll be back in time for the movie," she added.

Heading for the fireplace, Aurora, too, disappeared in a flash of green fire.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't know why, but I absolutely loved this scene between Arthur Weasley and Aurora... I never had a chance to RP with Weasley on virtual [dash] hogwarts .org, but, I might still have that chance in the future.**

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It wasn't long before Aurora was in the entrance hall of Hogwarts, where she heard her name coming from the large double doors and turned to see, "Arthur." She greeted him and wandered closer to the man who had the door open just wide enough that he could slip through. She looked up at the door in an obvious sort of way, making the Hogwarts Headmaster flush under the scrutiny.

"Just thought I'd take a walk," he explained.

"I didn't ask," she smirked at him and crossed her arms in good humor.

"I know. You weren't asking very loudly."

She couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped, because yeah, she supposed she did just walk right into that one. There were times when she needed to be reminded that actions spoke louder than words. She was lost in her thoughts when the red haired man asked, "Would you like to join me?"

When the headmaster asks for company, it's usually unwise to decline the offer, despite the fact that Aurora had some place she needed to be. Her response was an automatic nod of her head, seeing not only the Headmaster of the castle before her, but also a driving force of the Order of the Phoenix, right alongside Kingsley Shacklebolt, whom Aura had also grown to admire and respect.

Before she knew it, she was walking side by side with Weasley on the grounds of the castle, the lantern still levitating at her side, following her around without fail. The sun was gone, taking with it the warmth of the day, and a cool breeze swept in in its stead. Still, she was comfortable, but should that change, all she needed was a quick warming charm.

"Beautiful night," Weasley said conversationally. As the lantern next to her followed her, she too was following the headmaster. It didn't matter what his destination was; she was loyal to a fault.

She hummed her response and looked down every so often at the terrain under their feet, careful of any unevenness that might disrupt her flow - or perhaps it was out of awkwardness. Weasley didn't mention it, if he noticed. After a moment, she realized he hadn't. He was looking up at the stars as they moved, and she followed his gaze. They seemed so close, like she could reach out and touch one, pull it out of the sky and keep it for her own. "It's still safe, just so you know," Weasley said suddenly as if the heavens just reminded him of it, and looking at him now, she met his gaze. She couldn't quite read it. She detected concern, for her and for everything, confidence in what he was saying, and yet… she sensed his confidence wasn't complete. The weight of the world...

Offering no words in return, she continued following him towards the lake. Aurora was mulling things over, wordlessly picking apart the headmaster, wondering about everything she didn't have the answers to, as she had been all day. They came to a stop at the White Tomb and Aurora swallowed thickly as she watched Weasley circle the grave before coming to a stop at the front. Everyone had seen the White Tomb before. It was no secret whose resting place it was. "Albus Dumbledore," Weasley spoke, directed towards Aurora. She came up alongside him, invited into the private moment. "No greater wizard than him."

This was also common knowledge, though debated in some circles. "I'm sorry I did not have a chance to meet him," she offered. "He was remarkable." Someone to be admired, to boot. She clasped her hands behind her back, observing the stone in its simplicity.

"He still is," the headmaster countered. "Everything we've done, everything we're doing, and everything we're going to do is because of him. He _is_ the Order. We owe everything to him."

Aurora's eyes slipped closed and she angled her head away guiltily. Did she owe all the sacrifices she's made to him, too? Eh, probably. The whole group was so indebted to the legend of a man that they'd sacrifice anything and everything, because in comparison, nothing they sacrificed would measure against the ultimate. But, Aurora wasn't around back then, to be a part of that legend. It was a selfish thing to think, and even after years of being apart of the Order and everything they stood for, it still got to her at times. Did she owe this group her life just because others paid with theirs? Was there a line-and if so, where was it drawn?

"I know what you did wasn't easy…" She rolled her eyes upwards, throat constricting at the thoughts that had been haunting her for weeks now. Weasley was trying to read her like a book, with a small amount of success in his translation.

"No offense, but you have no idea what I've done." She scoffed, more to herself than the headmaster. "I just screwed my husband out of a multi-million pound deal. For _you_. For the _Order._ You tell me how I am supposed to reconcile with that."

"Aura…" he hesitated. "I'm sorry. I wish there was some way we could compensate you…"

The healer gave a deprecating laugh. "I don't care about the money, Arthur. I care that now I have to lie to my husband about it and lead him down a false trail." She gave a disbelieving sigh and took a step back. "Is that why you brought me here?" she waved at the White Tomb.

"No," Weasley said quickly. "I honestly just came to visit an old friend." Her jaw clenched with anger, not quite believing his intentions. "I'm just saying that I understand."

"The hell you do." Though she was bordering anger, she had an apologetic look to her. Getting pissed off at her boss was one thing, but getting pissed off at a friend was another. "Your entire family is part of the Order, just about. If they aren't in it, they know of it, and you can go home at the end of the day and talk to your other half about it. I have no one that I can lean on like that. So, please, just…" She couldn't finish the thought.

"If it bothers you so much, then why?"

What a loaded question. She stopped for a minute, looking at the tomb, still astounded that she wasn't in one herself. It would always astound her, but she would always be waiting, anticipating her final breath. She knew, deep down, it was coming sooner rather than later, but every passing year surprised her when she didn't drop dead and she had another day, another week, another month, another year to look forward to. "Because I know how important the Order is. I know what we do and why we do it. I understand _sacrifice,_ but I think it's easier for some," she meant the Weasley family, of course, "when they have a support system within."

"Alright," the ginger haired man acquiesced. "If you could bring one person into the Order, who would it be?"

Aurora opened her mouth, answer on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped, because as much as she wanted it, she hated the thought of it. Slowly, her mouth closed and she felt like she had just been put in her place.

"That's what I thought," Weasley said knowingly. "Because no matter how much you want to bring someone into the fold, you're loathe to bring them into the fold, too. That, Aurora, is what _we_ live with." _We_ , the Weasley family. _Fred._ Aurora knew and her insides seized. "Out of curiosity, who would you have picked?"

"My cousin, Alex."

"Not your husband? Interesting."

She felt trapped, suddenly, like there were no right answers. When it came to life or death, there never were. "Doesn't mean I care for her safety any less than his," she felt she needed to say.

"Of course not."

"I don't see Spike as the sort of person who could make the kind of choices we have to make." _Life or death._ Thinking about it now, she wasn't sure Alex could, either. If anything, Alex would be stupid enough to follow her off the edge, instead of letting her slip through her grasp. Perhaps that was part of what stilled her tongue in the first place.

Weasley turned to head back to the castle, but Aurora was left paralyzed at the tomb and struck by what it signified, both hopeful and foreboding. "What if that happens to me?" she called over her shoulder to his retreating back, her eyes transfixed on the white stone, on her possible-and likely-future. The thought of her family grieving in proverbial darkness gripped her, pulled at her emotions so badly, she could barely swallow down the bile. "What sort of answers will my family be given? Or will they be left wondering?"

The thought bothered her more than she felt it should. The hypocrisy of it all, yearning for companionship, and yet denying it to herself because it was too dangerous, but despite all that, her family deserved closure no matter how painful, no matter what the cost-their feelings and love for her-when her lies and deceit came to light. She knew that if their roles were reversed, that if it was Alex standing there and now, having a conversation with Weasley like it was an everyday occurance, their feelings wouldn't be much different. Inherent in the two women was the desire to do more than they were born for, to help fix the world however they could, and to fiercely protect family and friends, however steep the price might be. Her cousin might be offended, yes, but she'd understand. Inevitably, she'd _understand_.

Weasley stopped, head bowed while he collected an answer in his mind, struggling for the rightful and reassuring words. Beats passed them by, seconds turned into tens of seconds, and Aurora began to find the answer herself, the truth she had known since the beginning and overlooked for the greater good. Perhaps she just wasn't ready to face the possibility back then, wrapped up in the excitement of being _apart_ of something so vital and important to wizardkind's very way of life. Things were different now, creating a civil war inside her between her head and her heart, and there was no telling which side would win. The problem was… what part of her was fighting which side of the battle?

"It would depend," the ginger haired man said after a while, and he turned to look at her. He could have brushed it off, promised her that she wasn't going to be one of the Order's fallen, but it would have been empty, hollow. They both knew that. He couldn't control fate any more than she could see it now.

Still, she was hoping for more than a vague answer. It was a form of torture on its own, crawling into the back of her brain, ninja'ing it from the inside out. "Depends on what?" she tossed back to him, because she needed to know. She was not part of the Order on some _need to know_ basis. It was all or nothing.

"You already know the answer to that," he replied slowly.

Aurora turned towards him, emotions written all over her at the mere thought of _everything_. "That's not good enough," she told him, shaking her head. Her caramel curls brushed along her shoulders, caught by the breeze and the small movements of her head.

"What would you have us do, Aurora?" The question was frustratingly legitimate, and she should have expected that this was going to be turned around on her. "The absolute best we could do-if it ever happened-is give your family closure with a story that's fitting."

She turned back towards Dumbledore's tomb, drawn to it, standing before greatness itself. Why was it bothering her so much? She couldn't put her finger on why a cover story wasn't good enough. All she could wrap her mind around was the fact that it just _wasn't_. It felt off, and wrong in so many ways. Was it supposed to bother her this much, when in the eventuality it did happen- _Merlin forbid-_ she would be a little too dead to care? "It feels wrong," she breathed. It wasn't meant for Weasley to hear, but he did.

"It's not supposed to feel right." It was said on a shrug, because there was no easy answer, and certainly not one that could gratify the both of them. It was something that just _was_ , and it sucked.


End file.
